I felt led to write a blog entry about how the Chilean miners might well be God’s instrument for revival in Chile and throughout Latin America. I still believe that; but I prayed and I wondered if it would be misunderstood as exploitation or bragging to an audience that might not understand it. Then I found this webpage with this article critical of getting the Word of God to the miners and these additional comments, mostly viciously anti-Christian and profane (in the sense of being disrespectful to God) and I knew what I had to do: Write this blog entry and post it on the atheist webpage.

It was true that human technology was used to save the miners. But that does not disprove or dishonor God. Medical science also is a form of healing; few would argue that the medical advances would seem miraculous to prior generations. But where did the medical scientists who devised cures for terrible diseases or the engineers who drilled the hole into the mine or devised the instrument of rescue get the idea? Who gave them the vision? The prophets had words from the Lord to the Children of Israel. “Without vision, the people perish” (see Proverbs 29:18) the Bible says. Who can say the Holy Spirit did not inspire the engineer in this article to act to lead the rescue effort. No one can prove otherwise.

Bibles are important to the trapped miners. The Word of God is swift and more powerful than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12); it can lead people to Christ. It is reported in a Christian source that at least two miners accepted Christ before rescue. One of the 33 trapped miners is an evangelical pastor. Many of the miners wore God-honoring tee shirts and at least one asked for a pastor.

Many good things have come out of the trapped miners. They are now selling their stories and are heroes in Chile (and Bolivia too). This event may help improve relations between Chile and Bolivia; two nations formerly at war in the 1800s, according to the New York Times and a professor at Ole Miss.

But why do these sort of bad things happen? The Bible says that Adam sinned and fell out of grace with God (Genesis 3) and thus Jesus had to pay the bill (Romans 3: 24-25) so to speak to bring about grace and mercy from God. Because of sin and judgment, there are bad things that occur. Since all are sinners, there are no innocent persons, even in a mine in Chile. Hardship will come to believers; Jesus warned His people there would be persecution:

“If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” (Matthew 10:25 [KJV])

But God provided salvation for all who receive Christ.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 [KJV])

God does not play favorites. The most multicultural event in human history will occur in heaven and it is recorded in the Book of Revelation (chapter 7, verses 9-10 in the KJV but thanks to this site):

Men and women from every people group will worship God together in unity. I exhort all my readers who do not know Christ to investigate Him; check Him out. Taste and see if the Lord is good! (See Ps 34:8 [KJV]: “O TASTE and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.”) If you have questions or want to know more, contact me at eesjresquire at netscape.net or see the Plan of Salvation from the Billy Graham web site (This is not an endorsement of this blog or this posting by the BGEA but due to my admiration and respect for Billy and Franklin Graham I use it)

Elwood "Sandy" Sanders is a Hanover attorney who is an Appellate Procedure Consultant for Lantagne Legal Printing and has written ten scholarly legal articles. Sandy was also Virginia's first Appellate Defender and also helped bring curling in VA! (None of these titles imply any endorsement of Sanders’ views)